A correspondence corner for not-so-famous lost words

Correspondence on not-so-famous lost words

Sally Charin hopes someone can identify a poem beginning: “admit impediments, accept alarms, and random incompatibilities….” She recalls the author’s being identified as a Radcliffe graduate of the 1930s.

More queries from the archives:
“The saved man goes to the zoo with his child on a Sunday afternoon.”
“He that keepeth the law becometh master of the intent thereof.”
“Oh, do not think because I make  / Arrogant wounded unkind stabs / At suffering prowling man /  That I’m not partisan to all the fumbles in his mind. Whence else these lines? For whose sake?”

 “I’ll pretend I’m teaching” (July-August). No citations have arrived, but Eve Menger and Carlota Dwyer noted the quotation’s similarity to a remark often attributed to Soviet workers: “They pretend to pay us, and we pretend to work.”

Send inquiries and answers to “Chapter and Verse,” Harvard Magazine, 7 Ware Street, Cambridge 02138 or via e-mail to chapterandverse@harvardmag.com.

You might also like

Radcliffe Institute Announces 2026-2027 Fellows

Scholars will tap Harvard’s intellectual resources during the coming academic year.

How Stories Help Us Cope with Climate Change

The growing genre of climate fiction offers a way to process reality—and our anxieties.

These Harvard Mountaineers Braved Denali’s Wall of Ice

John Graham’s Denali Diary documents a dangerous and historic climb.

Most popular

Meet Harvard’s 2026 Student Commencement Speakers

Two undergraduates and a Ph.D. candidate will address the graduating class on May 28.

AI Outperforms Doctors in Emergency Room Tasks, New Harvard Study Shows

Researchers say the technology could help physicians with triage, diagnosis.

Harvard Faculty Approve a Cap on A Grades

Reforms to reduce grade inflation will take effect in the fall of 2027.

Explore More From Current Issue

A colorful hummingbird hovering by vibrant flowers.

Discoveries

Short takes on cutting-edge research

A woman in glasses gestures while speaking to two attentive listeners at a table.

How to Cook with Wild Plants

From wild greens spanakopita to rose petal panna cotta, forager and chef Ellen Zachos makes one-of-a-kind meals.

Woman in historical dress standing in front of green foliage, smiling brightly.

This Harvard Graduate Brings Women of the Revolution to Life

Historical reenactor Lauren Shear reveals tricks of the trade for playing Tory loyalists, Revolutionary poets, and more.